>>11088725multiplication is how many times the number was added to itself
x2 adds to itself once to make a pair, x1 adds nothing, x0 subtracts it once and x(-1) subtracts it twice:
1 * (-1) = 1 - 1 - 1 = 1 - 2 = -1, as you can see 1 was subtracted from itself two times. One order above that, i.e x0, should subtract it just once, which it does: 1 - 1 = 0
Multiplication isn't some unique arcane function deeply embedded into the fabric of the Universe, it's merely an instruction of how many times you add the number to itself and the midpoint is at x1, where you don't add/subtract anything.
I can't dumb this down further even if I tried to
